Device for steadying ships.



No. 769.693. PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904. T. O. FORBES. DEVICE FOR STEADYING SHIPS.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 3. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Ti y 1- PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

T. O. FORBES. DEVICE FOR STBADYING SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED JAY. 8, 1903.

'3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

Illl llllllllllllll! No. 769,698. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1904, T. O. FORBES.

DEVICE FOR STEADYING SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHBETSSHBBT 3.

:of a gyros-cope to prevent the swinging or the oscillating iiy-wheel support is mounted Nirsn STATE Patented September 13, 1904.

ATENT OF ICE.

DEVICE FOR 'STEADYING SHIPS- S'PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,693, dated September Application filed January 8, 1903.

T0 a ZZ whom it nmy concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. FORBES, a citizen or the United States, residing at Minneapoiis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful 1m provements in Devices for Stead ying Ships; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide improved means for preventing the lateral rocking or rolling ot ships or vessels; and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafterdescribed, and defined in the claims.

It is a well-known fact that a wheel, disk, or other rotary body. for convenience herein broadly designated a fly-wheel, when set under high rotary motion in a certain plane will tend to maintain its rotation in that plane and will exert a force resisting any movement from said plane which is dependent upon its weight and its peripheral speed, or, in other words, upon the centrifugal force which it exerts under such rotation. Such a wheel when mounted in an oscillating frame or support constitutes what is known as a gyroscope. i

In my present invention I utilize the. force rolling movements of a vessel or ship. In applying the gyroscope to the vessel or ship on an axis that extends transversely of the longitudinal axis of the vessel, and the hywheel is journaled in said oscillating frame or support on an axis that transversely intersects "the axis of its said oscillating support.

My inven tion in its preferred form is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of the body of a vessel, some parts thereof being broken away and showing my improved steadying device applied in working position thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section approximately on the line of Fig. 1, some parts Serial No. 133,185. (No mduJEEISS being broken away. Fig. Tiis aviewcorr'espending, in the direction in which it is viewed, to Fig. .1, but showing the improved steadying device removed from working position. Fig. 4. is a plan view'of the partsshown in Fig. 3, but with some parts broken away. Fig. 5 is atransverse section through the oscil lating wheel-supporting bracket, taken on the line a a of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a section through the fly-wheel on the line :0 w of Fig. 4, some parts being broken away; and Fig. 7.is a View corresponding to Fig. 1, but illustrating a modified arrangement of the device.

The numeral 1 indicates the hull of avessel, in the lower portion of which are rigidly secured in any suitable way a pair of laterally spaced bearing 2. 1

The numeral 3 indicates a rectangular supporting-bracket which-extends transversely of the body or hull of the vessel and is provided with trunnions at, which are loosely pivoted in the bearings 2. Loosely journaled on the bracket? is a fly-wheel 5, which, as shown, is formed in spokes and on the hub of which.

below the upper portion of the bracket 3, is

secured a spur-gear 6. The fly-wheel 5 is'covered with a thin and very smooth casing 7, preferably of sheet metal, so as'to reduce to a minimum the friction on the fly-whecl in passing through the air under its rotation. The fly-wheel is conveniently driven from an electric motor 8, which is rigidly secured on the oscillating bracket 3 and the armatureshat't of which carries a pinion 9, running in mesh with the; gear 6. The motor 8 will therefore of course-move with the bracket 3 and always maintain a proper driving position with respect to the gear 6 and the flywheel 5. To give the fly-wheel a tendency to stand in a horizontal position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vessel, a

weight 10 is applied to the under portion of.

the oscillating bracket 3.

As near as I have been able to determine by experiments the action of my improved steadying device, applied as illustrated in the drawings, is substantially as't'ollows: \Nith the balancing device applied as illustrated in thedrawings and when the fly-wheel is set under high rotary motion the force of the fiyrwheel will resist the lateral the vessel would rocking movements of the vessel, but will not resist the endwise pitchmg of the vessel. If the bracket 3 or other I support for the fly-wheel were to be rigidly secured to the hull of the vessel, the force of the fly-wheel would tend. to prevent lateral rocking motions of the vessel and also longitudinal pitching movements thereof; but since the longitudinal pitching movements of the vesselcould not possibly be overcome, due to the great force, the greater part of the power of the fly-wheel would be wasted or \dissipated in futile attempts'to overcome such pitching movement. However, with the flywheel mounted on an oscillating support and with this oscillating support pivoted to swing on an axis which extends transversely of the hull of the vessel the entire centrifugal force of the fly-wheel will be exerted to resist lateral oscillations or rolling movements of the vessel.

By experiments with the above device applied to a row-boat I have found that even when the waves are running high the rocking motions of the boat may be either entirely overcome or reduced to such an extent that they are practically imperceptible.

In practice ball-bearings would advisably be applied to support the fly-wheel from its supporting-bracket and to support thelatter from its supporting-bearings. In Fig. 7 the fly-Wheel 5 is set to revolve in a vertical plane extending longitudinally of the -vessel, and the frame 3 is journaled or pivoted in an upper bearing-yoke ll anda lower bearing 12, which parts are rigidly secured to the hull l of the vessel. revolve on an axis extending horizontally but transversely of the longitudinal axis of the vessel, providing the pivotal axis of the support be extended vertically. This would amount to turning the entire device (shown in the drawings) ninety degrees in a plane extending transversely of the vessel. This arrangement would be clearly withinthe scope of my invention, although the fly wheel when thus set to revolve in a vertical plane extending longitudinally of the vessel would take up considerably more valuable: space than when set to revolve in a horizontal space. In all cases, however, the pivotal axis of the oscillating support must extend transversely of the vessel, and the axis of the fiy-wheel must extend transversely of the axis of said support and of the longitudinal axis of the vessel. To set the fly-wheel to revolve on an axis extending longitudinally of 'the axis of destroy its utility for the purposes had in view-to wit, for preventing or resisting the lateral oscillations of tlievessel.

What I claimyhnd desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

The fly-wheel maybe set to' 1. The combination with a vessel, of a fiywheel support mounted to oscillate on an axis extending transversely of the axis of the vessel, a fly-wheel journaled in said oscillating support with its axis extending transversely of the axis of said support and of the longitudinal axis of the vessel, whereby the said flywheel is set to rotate in a plane extending in the general direction of the longitudinal axis of the vessel, and means for rotating said flywheel, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a vessel, of a fly wheel support mounted to oscillate on an axis, a fly-wheel journaled in said support with its axis extending transversely of the axis-of the means to limit the angular movement of the support, substantially as described.

at The combination with a vessel, of a body rotating freely and independently of the propelling mechanism of said vessel, a mounting for said body journaled to oscillate at right angles to the line of motion to be counteracted and means to maintain the bodyin rotation at a speed sufficient to generate a couple tending to neutralize the deviation of the vessel from its normal position, substantially as described.

heel support mounted to oscillate on an axis, a flyh ll journaledin said support with its axis exten ing transversely ofthe axis of-said support, the axis of said support lying generally the plane of motion to be counteracted, means to rotate the fiy-Wheel and means to limit the angular movement of the support, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a vessel, of a flywheel support-mounted to oscillate on an axis, a fiy-Wheel journaled in said support with its axis extending transversely of the axis of the support, the axis of said support lying generally in the plane of motion to be COUDCBI.

acted, means to rotate the fly-wheel, and means tending to hold the fly-Wheel in a horizontal position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vessel.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS C. FORBES WVitnesses:

ELIZABETH H. KELIHER, F. D. MERCHANT.

5. The combination with a vessel, of a fly-- 

